Noon briefing of 28 October 2016

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC,
SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
FRIDAY, 28 OCTOBER 2016

SYRIA: SECRETARY-GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK ON A SCHOOL IN ALEPPO

• The Secretary-General strongly condemns the reported attack on a school in the western part of Aleppo city, Syria, today, which killed a number of children. Such attacks, if deliberate, may amount to war crimes.
• Those responsible for these acts must be brought to justice. The Secretary-General reiterates his call on the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

• At a Security Council open debate on cooperation with regional and sub-regional organizations, the Secretary-General spoke about the International Criminal Court (ICC) and noted concerns about the Court’s work, including the idea that the Court has convicted only Africans despite evidence of crimes in other parts of the world. In recent days, he noted, three African countries have expressed their intent to withdraw from the Court. The Secretary-General regretted these steps, which could send a wrong message on these countries’ commitment to justice.
• The Secretary-General said that the challenges related to the ICC’s operations are best addressed not by diminishing support for the Court, but by strengthening it from within. Deterring future atrocities, delivering justice for victims, and defending the rules of war across the globe are far too important priorities to risk a retreat from the age of accountability that we have worked so hard to build and solidify.
• Regarding relations with regional organizations, the Secretary-General said that, in line with Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, the United Nations is seeking to intensify its interactions with the heads of regional and sub-regional organizations. He added that the impact has been meaningful – but we can do even more.

• Following yesterday’s confirmation that the United Nations had received a written notification of Burundi’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the ICC, the Spokesman said that the Secretary-General, acting in his capacity as depositary of the Rome Statute, is processing the withdrawal and will circulate a depositary notification today.
• The effective date on which the withdrawal process will begin is the date of receipt of the notification -- that is yesterday, 27 October 2016.

• The Secretary-General will travel to Switzerland to open intensive discussions between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders on 7 November.
• The talks will take place in Mont Pèlerin and will focus on territory, the first time the leaders will negotiate on the issue directly.
• The Secretary-General has been closely following the Cyprus negotiations throughout his tenure, and he looks forward to lending his personal support to the work of the two leaders as they enter this crucial phase of negotiations.

• Over the weekend, the Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson, will depart New York for Kigali, Rwanda, where he will have bilateral meetings with senior Government officials and visit the Genocide Memorial.
• The Deputy Secretary-General will leave Kigali on Tuesday and may make other stops before he returns to New York.

• Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, today said that the cowardly strategy by Da’esh of effectively using tens of thousands of women, men and children in Iraq as human shields is a violation of international humanitarian law and of the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life.
• Credible reports suggest that Da’esh has been forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes in sub-districts around Mosul and has been forcibly relocating civilians inside the city itself since operations began on 17 October to restore Iraqi Government control over Mosul. Da’esh fighters are allegedly killing civilians who refuse to comply with its instructions or who previously belonged to the Iraqi Security Forces, including 232 civilians who were reportedly shot to death last Wednesday.
• The High Commissioner said that, in the face of these flagrant violations of the law by Da’esh, it is even more crucial that Government forces and their allies ensure scrupulous respect for international human rights law and international humanitarian law. It is of utmost importance to ensure full respect for the cardinal principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.

• UNICEF warns that the situation in northeast Nigeria is an emergency that is attracting very little attention, despite the scale of the needs. 1.8 million people are internally displaced in the region, 4.4 million people are living in emergency situations and more than 400,000 children suffer from severe and acute malnutrition.
• UN humanitarian agencies continue to face challenges to operate in the region as they don’t have full access to large areas of northeast Nigeria and it is hard for humanitarian workers on the ground to access people in need. They also face funding problems as UNICEF has only received 25 percent of the funds required for its operations in the country in 2016, while the World Food Programme (WFP) needs $30 million to continue its activities in the next 6 months.

• The World Food Programme (WFP) says that it is concerned about the food security of families affected by floods in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), especially with winter approaching.
• Many families have lost not only their homes, but also their crops and livelihoods.
• WFP urgently needs $5.4 million to help all people affected by floods. It currently faces a shortfall of $23 million through next year for all of its programmes in the country.

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched today with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) the first phase of what will be a 15-year effort to eradicate the Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) - also known as sheep and goat plague - by 2030.
• This disease causes major losses in regions home to millions of the world's poorest people. Since it was first identified in Côte d'Ivoire in 1942, it has spread to some 70 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia -- in September 2016, Mongolia reported its first-ever case.
• While the disease is highly lethal to small ruminants -- killing up to 90 percent of infected animals -- it is easily preventable with inexpensive vaccines.

• Ecuador has become the 133rd UN Member State to pay its regular budget dues in full.